# User Journeys

## Map how users really navigate

Interactive Sankey diagrams that reveal the actual paths users take through your site, from landing page to conversion and beyond.

### Live user journeys demo: interactive Sankey diagrams from real traffic

You designed your site with a specific flow in mind. But do users actually follow it? **User journeys show you the real navigation patterns**: the paths users take, the pages they skip, and the detours they make before reaching your goal.

Unlike funnels, which track a predefined sequence, user journeys are **exploratory**. They reveal paths you didn't design for: the blog post that accidentally became your best conversion page, the documentation section that's acting as a landing page, or the settings page where users get stuck.

Rybbit renders your journey data as **interactive Sankey diagrams** where flow thickness represents user volume. Hover over any path to see exact numbers. Filter by wildcards to group similar pages. Adjust depth from 2 to 6 steps to zoom in or out. There's **zero setup**: install Rybbit and your journey data is ready.

## What you can do

### Interactive Sankey diagrams

See user navigation paths as interactive flow diagrams. Hover over any path to see the exact number of users who took it.

### Adjustable depth

Control how many navigation steps to visualize, from 2 to 6 steps deep. Zoom in on early navigation or follow paths further.

### Wildcard path filtering

Use wildcards like /blog/* or /docs/** to group similar pages together and focus on the flows that matter most.

### Entry & exit pages

See where users enter your site and where they leave. Identify your most effective landing pages and common exit points.

### Volume visualization

Flow thickness represents the number of users on each path. Spot the most popular and least common navigation patterns.

### Filter by pattern

Search for specific page patterns to focus on particular sections of your site. Great for analyzing product-specific flows.

## How it works

1. **Pageviews are tracked automatically**  
   Rybbit tracks every pageview and navigation event. No extra setup needed; journey data is available immediately.
2. **Open User Journeys**  
   Navigate to the User Journeys section in your dashboard. The Sankey diagram renders automatically from your pageview data.
3. **Adjust depth and filters**  
   Set the number of steps to visualize (2–6), apply path filters with wildcards, and choose how many journeys to display (10–200).
4. **Discover navigation patterns**  
   Hover over flows to see exact user counts. Identify the most common paths, unexpected detours, and pages that lose users.

## Who uses this

### Product teams

Understand how users actually navigate your product vs. how you designed them to. Validate information architecture decisions with real data.

### UX designers

See if your navigation structure matches user expectations. Identify pages where users backtrack or take unexpected paths.

### Marketing teams

Map the path from landing page to conversion. See which content pages lead to signups and which create dead ends.

### Content strategists

Discover how readers move between articles and sections. Optimize your internal linking based on real navigation data.

### Startup founders

See how your first users explore your product. Identify if they're finding your key features or getting lost along the way.

### E-commerce teams

Track the browsing-to-purchase journey. See which product categories lead to checkout and where shoppers abandon.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do I need to set up anything for user journeys?

### What's the difference between user journeys and funnels?

### Can I filter journeys by traffic source or device?

### How many journey steps can I visualize?

### What are wildcard path filters?

## Related features

- [Funnels](/content/features/funnels/index.html) Track predefined conversion paths with step-by-step drop-off data.
- [Session Replay](/content/features/session-replay/index.html) Watch the actual sessions behind your journey data.
- [Web Analytics](/content/features/web-analytics/index.html) The full dashboard with all your page and visitor metrics.
- [Goals](/content/features/goals/index.html) Set conversion targets for the paths you discover.
- [User Profiles](/content/features/user-profiles/index.html) See individual user journeys across their full history.
- [Custom Events](/content/features/custom-events/index.html) Track specific interactions along each navigation path.

## Discover how users really navigate

Interactive Sankey diagrams from your pageview data. Zero setup required.